Ingredients

• 100g/3½oz gram flour and 100g/3½oz rice or potato flour
• OR 200g/7oz gluten-free and wheat-free flour
• 1 level tsp xanthan gum (available in health food stores and in some supermarkets)
• 110g/4oz dairy-free margarine OR butter (cow or goat) if you can eat it
• 30ml/1fl oz cold water
• 350ml/12fl oz cows'
• soya or rice milk (rice milk will be rather thinner and sweeter)
• 15g/½oz cornflour
• 80g/3oz dark dairy-free chocolate (70% cocoa solids minimum)
• 2 tbsp Cointreau
• Grand Marnier or brandy
• 3 ripe pears

Directions

• Sift the flour or flours with the xanthan gum into the bowl of a food processor.
• Cut the margarine or butter into the flour and blend it until it resembles breadcrumbs.
• Add the water and blend again; if it looks dry
• add a little more water. Blend until the dough forms a ball.
• Remove from the processor
• wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
• Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
• Remove the pastry from the fridge. Roll it out onto a well floured board and line a 20-25cm/8-9in loose-bottomed flan tin. The pastry will be quite soft
• so you may need to patch any bits that tear. Line the pastry with greaseproof paper and weight with baking beans.
• Bake for 15 minutes then remove the beans and paper and bake for a further 10 minutes to crisp the pastry. Cool.
• Meanwhile
• gradually mix whichever milk you are using into the cornflour and heat slowly
• stirring continually until it thickens. Cook for a minute or two then remove from the heat.
• Break up 60g/2½oz of the chocolate and add it to the cornflour mix
• stirring until it is all melted.
• Stir in the liqueur or brandy.
• Quarter the pears
• core and peel them and arrange them
• pointed side to the middle
• in the flan dish.
• Spoon the chocolate sauce over the pears and allow to cool entirely.
• Grate over the remaining chocolate before serving.